The British Council, in collaboration with Kilomet 109, presents PHIÊU – a multi-media exhibition exploring the relationship between traditional crafts and contemporary design. The exhibition is on from 13 April to 3 May at the Hanoi Old Quarter Exchange Centre, 50 Dao Duy Tu St, Hanoi.The programme brings together contemporary designers, artisans, researchers, entrepreneurs, and consumers in an effort to revitalise traditional crafts and support local craft-makers, as to share an understanding that New and Old are mutually beneficial.

Art 4U20 to 24 April

Art For You is an art fair organised by Manzi Art Space and Work Room Four to connect buyers, artists and visitors to a variety of artworks and give a chance to possess them with affordable prices from $25 to $900. The seventh Art For You will be held from 20 to 24 April at the Manzi, 14 Phan Huy Ich St, Hanoi. Free admission.

Memory artist21 April to 4 June

Florian Nguyen has been known as an outstanding artist since his first exhibition, ‘Memory and Oblivion’, in 2016. His artworks are considered interesting due to their meticulousness in each detail. This year, his exhibition, themed ‘Memory’s Movement’, will be launched from 21 to 4 June at L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi. It features a visual installation of black and white paintings, and installation artworks.

DANCEDancing to accompany art22 AprilA contemporary dance, named ‘Not only a memory’, will be on at 7 p.m. 22 April at the L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi.

The show will be performed by 5 dancers. They will interact with audiences enjoying the best paintings collected from the exhibition ‘Memory’s Movement’ of Florian Nguyen in April.

­MUSICStrings and things13 AprilThe Tana String Quartet will perform at 8 p.m. 13 April at the L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien St, Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi. The Tana String Quartet was formed to promote contemporary repertoire and enhance the relationship between composer and performer; they place no boundaries when selecting style or genre and often present classical repertoire alongside contemporary works. In this performance, they will play a world-premiere song ‘Phong Vu’ by Ton That Tiet. Ticket: VND170,000

‘Changing of the Season’ 14 and 15 AprilThere is a night of concert and ballet ‘Changing of the Season’ at 8 p.m. 14 and 15 April at the Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien St, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi. The show has the performance of conductor David Gomez Ramirez, piano soloist Jesus Mª Gómez Rodríguez and artists from the Orchestra of the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet.Ticket: VND300.000, VND400,000 and VND600,000

‘Equation’ at the lake14-16 April

Equation is a yearly event for those who love tech house music in Asia. This year, it will be on from 14 to 16 April on the peninsular of Dong Mo Lake, a one-hour drive from Hanoi. The man-made reservoir, Dong Mo Lake, supplies water to the surrounding areas, and covers over 1500 hectares with a tranquil space of green trees and lakes. The event includes camping, music performances by well-known DJs, dancing, food, drinks and outdoor activities. It promises to bring fun to visitors from day to night.Tickets are now on sale at www.eventbrite.com

FESTIVALSnake village party17 to 19 AprilLe Mat Village Festival takes place from the 21th to 23th of the third lunar month (17 to 19 April, 2017) at the village in Viet Hung Ward, Long Bien Dist., Hanoi, to commemorate Mr Hoang Duc Trung, who won merit by taking poor people from Le Mat to the capital to reclaim wasteland and build 13 barracks to the west of Thang Long Citadel. The festival involves a water procession from the village well, catching fish and offering them to the gods, feasts and processions. Le Mat Village is well-known for its traditional craft of catching and raising snakes.

HO CHI MINH CITYEXHIBITIONS‘Water images’13 April to 14 MayAn exhibition of artist Vo Tran Chau, born in 1986, will be held from 13 April to 14 May at Salon Saigon, 6D Ngo Thoi Nhiem St, Dist 3, Ho Chi Minh City. She has been tracing a few amongst the many descendants of the Nguyen Dynasty to create ‘Water-images’, which remakes Long con, the emperor’s garment, by sowing together patches of their descendants’ clothing.

Besides this, the artist develops other works consisting of embroidered paintings, fabric sculptures, and a unique form of mosaic tapestry/painting not often seen in Vietnam. This solo exhibition creates an illusory space between forgetting and remembering, between current affairs and autobiographical elements, to create discourse on the psychology of our very era that seems to embody a recurrent uneasiness, looping between the past and future.

Trade relationsTill 5 MayThe exhibition ‘Trade relation between Japan and Vietnam in history’ will be held till 5 May at Hue Royal Antiquities Museum, 3 Le Truc St, Hue. The exhibition introduces antiquities reflecting the close relation between Japan and Vietnam in trading between the XVII and XVIII centuries.

DANCE‘A dream is a wish that your heart makes’25 and 26 April

The ‘Cinderella’ ballet will be staged at 8 p.m. on 25 and 26 April at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House. The show was choreographed by the well-known Norwegian Johanne Jakhelln Constant in 2013 and became one of the favourite ballets in HCMC. This time, it has the participation of famous Japanese ballet artist Nobuo Fujino as the Prince and the artists from Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO). Ho Chi Minh City Opera House, 8 Lam Son Square, Dist.1, Ho Chi Minh City. Ticket: VND400,000. Tel: (08) 3823-7295

The beauty of new Vietnamese Opera now available in EnglishBy Ritch Pickens For a long time now, foreigners and visitors to Vietnam who know little or nothing of the language have been able to enjoy traditional song, music, dance and costume in various cultural shows. Now for the first time, film subtitles in English allow the English speaker to understand and enjoy a full-length original but traditional opera. Whilst it took place at the Saigon Opera House you do not have to go there and buy a ticket. You can watch it in the comfort of your own home on Youtube for free. A simple Google search of Linh Huyen Poet Queen Youtube will get you there. Sit yourself down with your favourite beverage and soak up an hour and fifty two minutes of Vietnamese culture and enjoy a ripping operatic story.Linh Huyen's opera ‘The Poet Queen’ (Story of Nom) was premiered in 2013. This filmed version is from 2015. The author also plays the lead role. It tells the story of Vietnam's most famous poetess, Ho Xuan Huong, who lived in the turbulent times of the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century. With her sensuous, erotic and beautiful verses she challenged the feudal system and Confucian thinking of her time, which severely restricted women's role in society. This opera marked the revival of traditional music instruments with a fresh approach to traditional the 'cai luong' in which singers appear to duel with each other in song.

MUSICDvorak’s 8th19 April

Dvorak’s 8th Symphony will be led by conductor Tran Nhat Minh at 8 p.m. 19 April at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House. Dvorak’s 8th Symphony is one of the most famous symphonies of 19th century European romantic music. The show also features talented pianist Nguyen Bich Tra. She will perform Joachim Raff's concerto in G Major for piano and orchestra. Ho Chi Minh City Opera House, 8 Lam Son Square, Dist 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Ticket: VND200,000. Tel: (08) 3823-7295

OTHERCycling for the poor1 April to 28 April‘Give a child a fish and you feed her for a day. Teach a child to fish and you feed her for a lifetime’, is the statement of H2H’s mission. H2H Charity Ride exists to help break the cycle of poverty in the lives of Vietnam’s poorest children and youth. Each April, H2H organises a 2,000 km cycling from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh to raise essential funds for Vietnamese children’s charities supporting education and healthcare. This year, 20 riders will follow the old Ho Chi Minh Trail from 1 April to 28 April to raise money for five Vietnamese children's charities: Saigon Children's Charity, KOTO, The Blue Dragon Children Foundation, Live and Give and ILA Community Network. To donate please go to www.justgiving.com/teams/h2h2017.

Cool poolTill 20 May, 2017Come to Saigon Soul Pool Party every Saturday till 20 May, 2017 at the largest pool in Saigon of New World Hotel. The party has beverages and mouth-watering dishes. Also, the atmosphere will be stirred up with world-class DJs.New World Saigon Hotel, 76 Le Lai St, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, HCMC. Ticket: VND150,000